WATCH: TAP’s trenchless river crossings

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP) has released a video detailing the construction of 25 river crossings in Albania which used trenchless technology.

TAP is an 878 km pipeline that will transport gas from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan through the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, providing a gateway to deliver up to 10 billion m3/a of new Caspian gas supplies to Europe from 2020.

In order to overcome the construction challenges in Albania – including mountainous terrain and multiple river crossings – the project used innovative trenchless technologies.

The methods were selected according to the unique geology and topography of the work site and included the use of horizontal directional drilling, microtunnelling, auger boring and pipe jacking.

Trenchless installations were strictly monitored by environmental experts and limited the impact to the rivers’ ecosystems and the local flora and fauna in the valleys around the river crossings.

In February 2018, TAP announced that it was two-thirds of the way completed, including engineering, procurement and construction scope.

First gas sales to Georgia and Turkey are targeted for late 2018, while deliveries to the European market are planned for 2020.